The versatile veteran was supposed to fill several roles, including backup point guard and reserve swingman, but after a solid start, Daniels hurt his thumb and missed 28 games. When he returned in February he put together a string of solid outings but then seemed to regress. By the time April rolled around he was all but of the rotation and he played just six minutes against the Heat, with all of it coming in the Game 2 blowout.

“As a player you want to go out there and compete,” Daniels said. “That’s definitely difficult. You’ve just got to stay ready whenever your time comes. You’re physically ready, you’ve just got to stay mentally ready.”

But what changed?

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s coach’s decision. They felt like they needed to make a change and it worked out well for us in the first round, so hopefully we can keep it up.”

There’s a chance that Daniels could get some meaningful playing time in this series, however. With LeBron James on the other side, Doc Rivers will need all able-bodied forwards he can find. Paul Pierce obviously is first in line, and then comes Tony Allen, but Daniels could play a role.

Rivers indicated that was a possibility. There also may be a role for Nate Robinson, depending how things play out. Rivers has said that he remains confident in all of his players. He may get a chance to test that confidence in this series.